(Reuters) – Aditi Ashok’s consistency over four rounds at the Tokyo Olympics nearly proved enough to clinch an unlikely podium spot, and the 26-year-old believes she needs to rediscover it if she hopes to go a step further and win a medal at this year’s Paris Games.
Ashok came fourth and missed out on a medal in Tokyo by a stroke after being in contention right to the finish.
She has gone from strength to strength since then and had a promising 2023, recording five top-10 finishes on the LPGA circuit to rise to a year-end ranking of 42.
“I feel I’ve gotten better with all aspects of my game,” Ashok said in an interview with Sports Authority of India (SAI) media.
“2023 especially was a great year performance wise and that’s because I managed to pick up some distance in the off season last year. I would say winning a medal is pretty high up there in terms of career achievements…
In 2024, Ashok’s form has been more mixed, but with several events left on the calendar before the Aug. 7-10 women’s Olympic golf tournament begins at Le Golf National, Ashok still has time to find her groove.
“My results have been average. I have played good in streaks but not for all four days. I do feel I’m playing well so I’m looking forward to the summer events leading up to the Olympics…,” Ashok said.
“I’m looking at each event with the same importance and trying to do my best for all four days each week. That should get me in a good frame of mind and routine before the games and hopefully that will be enough at Paris.”
Ashok will also be keen to bury the disappointment of missing out on a gold medal at last year’s Asian Games, in which she lost a seven-shot lead in a final-day meltdown to finish second behind Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol.
“I think I played some of my best golf in Tokyo. I gained a lot of confidence I would say and not much learning,” Ashok said.
“With the Asian Games I played one of my worst rounds of the year on the final day. Which was after the best round of my life on the third day. So sometimes you fail and there’s no reason as to why.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
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